Twitter Mailbag: Fowlkes on title pictures, top 2012 upset, Edgar in HOF, more

Many of this week’s Twitter Mailbag participants seem to have heavyweights on the brain, and who can blame them after UFC 155?

This edition of the TMB takes a closer look at the state of MMA’s big men, but also finds time to imagine an alternate light-heavyweight reality, debates the pros and cons of fighters second-guessing each other on Twitter, and wonders what’s going on in Antonio McKee’s head.

Want in on some of this action? Grab your Twitter and tell it to go find @BenFowlkesMMA. If it doesn’t listen, smack it on the nose with a newspaper. That’ll teach it to mind you.

@benfowlkesmma what do you think the biggest problem with JDS was? Cardio? Not taking Cain’s striking seriously? Nike? #tmb

I’m going to go ahead and say it was allowing Cain Velasquez to punch him in the face. I think that, if Junior Dos Santos could go back and do it all over again, he would probably choose to not get punched in the face, perhaps at all. He’d certainly opt to get out of the way of that one big right hand in the first round since that’s the one that changed the entire fight. Like Bruce Willis in “The Sixth Sense,” Dos Santos was basically beaten right there, only no one told him and so he had to continue wandering the cage as a ghost who, I don’t know, helps a little kid or something.

OK, so I’m kind of kidding, but I’m also kind of serious. You hate to sit around on your couch and try to tell a professional fighter what he did wrong (or at least you should hate to do that because what do you know, really?), but Dos Santos did seem more concerned with avoiding Velasquez’s takedowns than with defending his face. The good news is that he was doing a pretty good job of defending against those takedowns in the opening minutes. The bad news is that he made himself very easy to hit in the process.

I know how, after a loss like that, everyone wants to chip away at his prior accomplishments, making it seem like he was never that good to begin with – and we, oh, we were the ones who knew it all along even while everyone else drank the Kool-Aid. But honestly, I think Dos Santos lost not because he wasn’t skilled enough or in good enough shape. It certainly wasn’t because he lacked for toughness. It was because he made a tactical error. Not so different from Velasquez’s error in their first fight, really, except that Dos Santos somehow managed to hang around for five full rounds of punishment afterward. I’m not sure whether that will be a good or a bad thing for him in the long run. Some people are never the same after a beating like that.

@benfowlkesmma pick me pick me! If by some miracle Bigfoot beats Overeem, who do you match Cain up with next? Rematch w/ JDS? Bigfoot again?

I think we can all agree that a victory for Antonio Silva over Alistair Overeem is the UFC’s nightmare scenario here. “Bigfoot” isn’t exactly the greatest box-office draw, and UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez already has one lopsided win over him. If he beats Overeem, it cancels a big-money heavyweight title fight and replaces it with a bunch of question marks. The fact that it would be so obviously bad for the UFC makes it seem almost more likely to happen, given the recent run of bad luck. The only thing that might be more effective at ensuring that Velasquez and Overeem never fight is making them opposing coaches on the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” If that happens, just call Fabricio Werdum and tell him to clear his calendar.

Jamie Varner was a nearly 5-to-1 underdog according to some oddsmakers when he knocked out Edson Barboza at UFC 146. If you could have convinced those same oddsmakers to give you a line on whether Varner would resurrect his career with a 2-1 run in the UFC in 2012 (with his lone loss coming in a “Fight of the Night” performance against Joe Lauzon, no less), I think the odds would have been even higher. So that’s my upset of 2012: Jamie Varner. Both in that fight with Barboza, and also just in general.

@benfowlkesmma If Belfort had finished Jones, how would LHW Div look now? Who would he have fought first? Would Jones have moved up? #tmb

Oh, how I love these questions that ask me to imagine an alternate MMA universe. One in which, perhaps, Vitor Belfort breaks Jon Jones’ arm to become the UFC light-heavyweight champ and earn a victory for young dinosaurs and natural middleweights alike. After such a triumph, Belfort naturally hits the talk show circuit, taking his underdog tale on “The View” and Ellen DeGeneres and “The Brock Lesnar Show” (in this alternate universe, Lesnar has a wildly popular morning talk show on the Outdoor Channel, which involves guests opening up to him over the course of extended bow-hunting excursions), before being eventually, inevitably destroyed by his own success. He starts partying too much and missing training sessions. He is photographed coming out of Taylor Swift’s hotel room at 6 in the morning. When he finally has to defend his UFC light-heavyweight title in a rematch against “Tank” Abbott at UFC 163 (don’t even ask), he shows up 20 pounds overweight with a tattoo of the periodic table of elements that he is unable to explain the origin or significance of. He still wins easily.

And Jones? He travels to Russia for experimental medical treatments on his badly injured arm. He quickly falls in love with the rich history and culture, and settles down to open his own high-end men’s clothing store/tobacconist just outside St. Petersburg. He’s successful. He’s happy. He doesn’t think very much about his old life as a professional fighter – except on rainy days when his elbow starts to ache. Then he finds himself staring out the window as the afternoon light drains from the vast Russian sky. He cradles his arm close to his body and wonders how Belfort is doing. “I hope he’s OK,” Jones says aloud, to no one. He means it. He really does.

I could think of some other “nexts” I might rather see first. For instance, Sara McMann would be an interesting fight for Ronda Rousey, and I can’t imagine that the UFC wouldn’t jump at the chance to promote a women’s title fight between two Olympic medalists.

Assuming she’s victorious in her rematch with Alexis Davis at Invicta FC 4 this Saturday, I also wouldn’t mind seeing Shayna Baszler get a shot at Rousey if she beats Carmouche (c’mon, Max, haven’t you been watching this crazy sport long enough to know there are no sure things?). If Marloes Coenen wants to find herself in that conversation, she needs a win over someone who really matters. I wouldn’t wait too long to go get it, if I were her. “Cyborg” Santos can’t keep making all the wrong moves forever.

If you’re talking about the UFC Hall of Fame, then yes, Frankie Edgar would have to be considered a shoe-in after all that. That is, unless he has a falling out with the company before he can be inducted, in which case he might be forever ignored, like he never even really existed at all, which is kind of the problem with a company-run hall of fame.

If cain beats overeem, what’s next for him?, does he have anyone else? what about roy nelson or werdum? #tmb @benfowlkesmma

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First Overeem has to beat “Bigfoot” Silva, and then he probably (hopefully) has to pass some drug tests. Neither of those is guaranteed at this point. But even if all that happens and eventually leads to a successful heavyweight title defense by Velasquez (which is by no means is a given, especially in this division), I think there will still be plenty of work to be done at heavyweight. For instance, if Velasquez earned a rematch with one win, why shouldn’t Dos Santos be able to do the same?

@benfowlkesmma Did you watch the Dream NYE show? If so, AYFKM, Mckee? What did you think? Is he the new Sapp? Or the new Sylvia? #tmb

According to commentator Mauro Ranallo, who did the play-by-play on the DREAM.18 broadcast, Antonio McKee said in pre-fight interviews that he intended to quit “as soon as I take a beating.” That strikes me as a weird thing to think, much less say, before a professional fight. It’s kind of like joining the Army and telling them, “If I don’t like how this war is shaping up, I reserve the right to desert my unit at any time.” If that’s the attitude you’re bringing into the fight, why bother?

I know Bob Sapp’s answer to that question would probably invoke the almighty power of the paycheck (followed by a booming fake laugh), and few of us expect anything else out of him at this point. McKee’s different, or at least he used to be. No one wants to see him take an unnecessary beating, but we do want to see him try his best. It’s hard to say you did that if you tap the moment you get hit with a punch you don’t like. Especially if that was your stated intention all along.

@benfowlkesmma What “walkout song” would you pick to play for your baby during her delivery? I’m assuming nothing by Eminem.

I think Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” would be a fitting choice, but somehow I don’t think my wife is going to go for it. As long as we can avoid the dreaded Eminem Curse – which, if played at birth, would presumably be for life – I’ll be satisfied.

@benfowlkesmma#tmb Which troubled challenger has a better chance at a belt? Alistair vs Cain, or Diaz vs GSP? Both will be wrestled.

Well, now you’ve got me sitting here thinking about how awesome it would be if both those fights happened on the same card, and if the tagline for the event was “Both will be wrestled.” To answer your question, I like Overeem’s chances in an eventual title fight with Velasquez a lot more than I like Nick Diaz’s hopes against Georges St-Pierre. Overeem has size and power, and Velasquez has a somewhat suspect chin. Diaz has a predictable (albeit exciting) style, and GSP has the ability to suppress his ego long enough to exploit it. In that one, at least, there will be much wrestling indeed.

@benfowlkesmma (safely) assuming he wins his Strikeforce fight, how likely do you think it is that we’ll see Barnett back in the UFC?

Very. Despite whatever lingering issues UFC President Dana White might have with him – and you can understand why he’d have a few – the chance to add a heavyweight talent like Josh Barnett to an already deep division is worth the risk. As long as he doesn’t make himself too difficult to work with, I think Barnett gets a shot at UFC redemption. I also think he’ll do it on an extremely short leash.

@benfowlkesmma So Miesha proclaims Cain is “stupid” for not going for the RNC. Who’s the stupid one? Or is she “just saying stuff.”#tmb

Miesha Tate’s Twitter criticism of Velasquez’s reluctance to try for a submission may have been a little too strongly worded, but you have to admit she has a point. Had he locked on a choke when he had Dos Santos hurt in the first round, he could have taken a lot of the guess-work out of the equation. Especially in a fight like this, refs are inclined to let a wounded fighter take more of a beating before they jump in and stop it. You might be able to end a prelim bout by glaring at Herb Dean while you whack a turtled up opponent with a barrage of short rights, but it’s not so easy to end a heavyweight title fight. Just ask Shane Carwin.

Of course, second-guessing Velasquez for not locking on a choke is sort of like second-guessing Dos Santos for worrying too much about the takedowns at the expense of his striking defense. On the outside, everyone knows what you should have done differently. Fighters get a little more leeway to criticize other fighters since they actually know what they’re talking about, but they also know how it feels to get armchair quarterbacked. You think Velasquez might have some advice for Tate on the subject of armbar escapes? Just sayin’.

I agree. I’ve been a fan of Jon Anik’s for a while now, and I think if he and Joe Rogan get a chance to work together more they could become a solid broadcast team. Not sure where that leaves poor Kenny Florian, however, who might have at least temporarily lost his dance partner. Just when they were developing a rhythm, too.

@benfowlkesmmaI know DW is leaning towards Gil, but if Pettis gets past Cerrone in impressive fashion how does he not get the shot?

There’s a lot to like about a potential Benson Henderson vs. Antony Pettis UFC lightweight title bout. Not only was their WEC finale just a great fight, the “Showtime kick” by Pettis also doomed Henderson to relive one of his worst moments in Zuffa highlight reel hell for all of eternity. When Henderson showed up to the post-fight press conference after losing his WEC title in the organization’s final event, you could see him physically fighting back tears as the realization of what had just happened seemed to come at in him in waves.

And what about Pettis, who never got the opportunity that was promised to him as a result of that victory? This is a story that tells itself, plus it gives the UFC an excuse to keep showing that kick in every commercial.

At the same time, fight fans do love a champion vs. champion showdown, which Gilbert Melendez brings with him. Kind of seems like either way the UFC goes here, it has a winner. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out who it’s going to be, which is a nice problem to have.

I wish I knew. I wish I could understand what might compel a crowd of paying fight fans to boo a deposed champion after he just spent the better part of 25 minutes fighting bravely, recklessly on in a futile effort to retain his title. I wish I knew how they could look at Dos Santos’ battered, misshapen face and decide that he hadn’t done enough to earn their respect. Better yet, I wish I could have seen the faces of the boo-birds in question when Dos Santos, his voice taking on the tone of a child who doesn’t understand why his dog has to die, listened to the boos and asking, “Why they do that?”

Because seriously, if your heart didn’t break a little right then – and if you didn’t at least entertain the idea that maybe JDS is an alien sent to this planet to teach us about the intersection of strength and kindness – then you’re probably a bad person. Or, I don’t know, maybe you’re not. Maybe you were just acting like one on that particular night. In that case, I really would like to know: Why you do that?

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie.com and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Follow him on Twitter at @BenFowlkesMMA. Twitter Mailbag appears every Thursday on MMAjunkie.com.

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